Company said no review units had been sent out

The company said the first units sent out to backers do not feature the final version of the software and urged sites to wait until review units are issued before passing judgement.

In a statement issued to GamesIndustry the company wrote: "We will be making Ouya review units available in early to mid-May so that you are able to review the more complete consumer experience and prepare your coverage in time for the June 4th retail launch.

"To clarify for you--Ouya has sent no review units out to press. Any reviews you have seen online are a result from individuals who received early backer units from supporting our Kickstarter."

Success story

The statement follows somewhat unflattering reviews in a number of tech and gaming publications, but Ouya said it never intended for this version of the console to be under such scrutiny.

Instead it said the 'preview' persion was being used to glean feedback from backers in order to fine-tune the experience before the console becomes available to everyone in June.

The $99 (UK£99) console, which plugs directly into a HDTV, has become one the biggest success stories of the Kickstarter era. The console earned $8.5m from a whopping 63,416 backers.